Versipellis
by Sass Master
Summary: CHAPTER THREE POSTED. When Sirius grows concerned about Remus' curious behavior, learning the truth will change both their lives forever.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.:** So…I'm back! Writing Harry Potter stuff! XD Bet no one saw THAT coming. This is a bit unusual for me, and I'm still trying to get into the swing of it. Hope it's all right. I actually agonized over the summary. Don't even get me started. Title means 'werewolf' in Latin. I was really surprised and excited that the word werewolf was even in my Latin dictionary at all XD.

**Disclaimer:** I always forget to do these, but it seems more important when you're writing about Harry Potter. So yeah, I don't own these characters/places/etc. JK Rowling does. That's why she is one of the richest people in the world, and I am not.

* * *

One January afternoon in third year, just after Christmas holidays, Sirius Black and James Potter found themselves in a most unlikely place—the library. There was nothing to study for, as classes still hadn't resumed, and neither one could be really described as anything remotely related to the word 'studious,' anyway, but despite this, Hogwarts' resident troublemakers were seated quietly in a corner of the library, each poring over a book.

Neighboring students eyed them warily. It was an unusual and thing to see James and Sirius in the library, unless there was going to be an explosion or the Slytherins were about to be sprayed with something goopy, neon-colored, and extremely foul-smelling. Even rarer were their trips made to the library without the company of Peter Pettigrew, whose admiration for the two was just a hair shy of completely revolting, or Remus Lupin, the only one of their little group who spent time with books for the sheer enjoyment of it.

But James and Sirius did not appear to be experiencing any enjoyment. They'd been almost perfectly solemn and silent since they arrived—much to the relief of the other students, as pranking was usually prefaced by a good deal of snickering and other equally ominous noises.

"You know," Sirius said at last, finally breaking their silence as he idly flipped through the pages of an enormous and ancient-looking textbook. "I've been thinking about something."

"Is it about why in God's name we're in the library when we are neither pulling off a prank nor studying, even though we never study for anything anyway?" James replied, not looking up from what he was reading—the library's extremely worn copy of 'Quidditch Through the Ages.' "Because if it is, I'd really like to know. There are about a million other, much better things I could be doing right now."

"Like being turned down by Evans for the eightieth time this year?" Sirius replied, sounding very unimpressed. "Though if she beats you to a pulp like she did last time, maybe it _would _be a better use of your time."

"She's just playing hard to get. Eventually she'll come around and acknowledge the strong feelings she has for me."

"I think the only strong feeling she has for you is nausea."

"And _yet_," James said, finally looking up from his book so he could fix his friend with an annoyed glare, "I'd rather be with her, belligerent and nauseated though she may be, than stuck in the library with you for no apparent reason."

Sirius tried to look wounded, but a smirk appeared instead. James was rather amusing when he was trying to be threatening. "Fine. I dragged you here because I wanted to read something. That's what people _do _in libraries, you know. That's what you're doing."

"Against my will."

"Like you haven't got that book memorized by now," Sirius said, sounding even more unimpressed than before. James obsession with Quidditch—and, therefore, that book—was hardly a secret. "Besides, you can quit whining, as I have found what I came here to read, and we can leave in a matter of moments. Satisfied?"

James snorted and went back to reading.

Sirius snorted back and pulled the book into his lap, precariously balancing on two legs of his rather rickety chair.

A few minutes passed, the silence only broken by the occasional sneeze or hushed snippets of conversation. Finally, Sirius snapped the book closed with an air of finality and set it back on the table, rocking a bit in his chair.

"So," Sirius said in a would-be casual tone, "Do you reckon Remus is a werewolf?"

"What?!" James spluttered, almost falling out of his equally dangerously perched chair, his book falling unceremoniously on the floor. "What're you—…_what?!_"

Madame Pince's loud 'Shhh!' went unnoticed.

"A _werewolf_?" he continued in the same slightly hysterical voice that echoed off the bookshelves. "Are you _completely_— I mean _why_ would you—"

"Mr. Potter!" Madame Pince spat angrily from across the room, while several studying Ravenclaws glared. "If you cannot control the volume of your voice I will have to ask you to leave!"

James all but ignored her, and turned back to Sirius, poised to carry on with his rant, but he was abruptly cut off.

"Bloody _hell_, James!" Sirius hissed, punching James hard in the arm and looking around warily. "Say it loud enough for the whole school to hear, why don't you?"

"Well _sorry,_" James said, clearly not meaning it. "But you do know that's absolutely mad, don't you?"

"It's not mad at all," he replied, in that calm, 'I-know-something-you-don't' sort of way that was infuriating at the best of times.

"Care to enlighten me then?"

"Gladly, but first I have to check this book out, so we can step outside and no one will have to overhear you raving like a lunatic."

"Fine," James grumbled, abandoning 'Quidditch Through the Ages' and storming out of the library. The library-dwellers looked relieved to see him go.

Once they made it to the grounds—Sirius had insisted, for privacy's sake, no matter how James complained about the cold— and began walking by the lake, James decided to speak up again.

He cleared his throat a bit awkwardly, having calmed down from his previous outburst. "So about this, er… this Remus thing. I mean, a werewolf? You can't be serious."

Sirius smirked, as he always did when given that phrase. "Well, of course I'm s—"

"Oh save it," James said, holding up a hand impatiently. "That joke got old about ten minutes into first year."

Sirius pouted, but continued on. "Anyway yes, I am serious, as always. It makes perfect sense. And _don't_," he continued as James went to open his mouth again, "Don't argue with me until you hear me out."

James huffed, but shut up. "Go on then. Dazzle me with your logic."

"Okay, well, haven't you noticed that he only gets 'sick' exactly once a month?"

"And that automatically makes him a werewolf?"

"…Well either that or he's a woman."

James made a strange, choking noise.

"I mean I suppose he_could _be a woman," Sirius continued thoughtfully. "Haven't got much evidence to the contrary, really…" He trailed off, then shook his head. "But no, I think it's probably more likely that he's a werewolf."

"You're mental."

"Yes. But I'm also right, so feel free to stop looking so skeptical."

"Not likely."

"Whatever! But haven't—haven't you noticed that he's got scars and scratches all over his arms _all the time_?"

"So've we!" James argued, sounding rather proud that he had a comeback that was a bit more valid than implying that Remus was female.

"Well yeah, but they're from Quidditch, which Remus doesn't play, and other general mayhem we create or become involved in, which Remus tries very hard to stay away from," Sirius explained, and James looked sour over having his reasoning shot down so quickly. "Besides, it's not just that. You know how he'll never take his shirt off in front of anyone?"

"Not really, sorry. I don't pay that much attention to when or where Remus, or any bloke, for that matter, undresses. I am a _man _after all," James said haughtily, looking less like a man and more like a boy than ever.

"Yes, I'd forgotten what an extraordinary example of masculinity you were," Sirius commented dryly. "It's a wonder Evans can resist you, what with the skinny arms and pasty complexion and all…"

James tried to look threatening again. Sirius laughed. James tried to look _more_threatening. Sirius laughed harder.

James growled. "Did you have a point?"

"Yes, and I'd've made it by now if you could _shut up _for two seconds. I'm pretty sure Remus is hiding a werewolf bite," James rolled his eyes, but Sirius ignored him. "I've seen it once, when he was fixing his tie and his collar opened some. He's got a big scar on his shoulder," he said matter-of-factly. "I've read that werewolves often go for the jugular."

"That's not the jugular."

"They often miss."

"You sound daft, do you know that?"

"Just—" Sirius said, at last sounding frustrated by his friend's skepticism. "Just—here," He shoved the giant textbook into James' hands. "Read this and then tell me if you think I'm daft."

"This," James replied, sounding more disbelieving than ever. "You want me to read_this?_" He examined the cover, which was badly beaten up and faded, but the word "lycanthropy" and an illustration of the full moon were just barely visible. "Honestly, Sirius, what makes you think you can believe what you read in here? You know most of these old books about dark creatures are usually nothing but out-dated, intolerant rubbish."

"This is the only book I found about werewolves that doesn't focus on how they should be tagged or kept locked up at the Ministry or what kind of silver is most effective for poisoning them," he said, somewhat relieved that James was finally listening. "It actually, if I'm not mistaken, was written by a werewolf. Y'know, to counter all the nonsense that's out there." Sirius raised an eyebrow, daring James to find a hole in his logic.

"…Fine," James conceded, after a few moments of intense staring. "I'll read it. But if I don't agree with you, you'd better just _drop it_, all right?"

"Fair enough," Sirius agreed, and they shook on it. "But Peter and Remus are coming back this afternoon—not a _word _to either of them, got it?"

"Well, _obviously_," James scoffed. "What do I look like, an idiot or something?"

Sirius gave James a shove, causing him to stumble comically and nearly fall into the lake.

"Yeah, most of the time."

* * *

**A.N.:** So there's the first little part for you. More like a prologue than anything else, really.

Please leave reviews!

They are much needed nourishment for any author :P This has been a new and scary experience for me and I need the encouragement XD I have other parts written up, but have become a failure at writing things in order. If this is well received I will stop being weird and actually write the next part, as opposed to half-writing about three other parts, which gets me nowhere.

Hope everyone enjoyed: )


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N.: Not much to say, really. Just thanks as always to Rachie for being so patient while I pummel her with ideas and make her read stuff for me.**

**Disclaimer: Yarr, it be not mine. But I be a pirate.**

**(I enjoy MSWord's attempts to correct my pirate talk.)**

* * *

"All right," James announced, slamming a book down at the table where Sirius sat, "I believe you."

Sirius, who had jolted upright when the book collided with the table, sat up even straighter at James' words. "What? Y—… You _do_? Really?" It had been nearly a month since Sirius had come to James, insisting that Remus was a werewolf, and Sirius was beginning to doubt that James would ever give him a verdict on what he thought. He was actually pretty certain that James had forgotten all about it.

"Yes," James said, speaking more quietly as he moved to sit in the chair across from Sirius', "I read this entire book, believe it or not, and I definitely think Remus is…" James faltered, looking around the crowded common room, "I definitely think you're right," he amended, and Sirius smiled. "Now what are we doing to do about it?"

"Don't tell Peter, first off," Sirius said immediately. "Can't keep his mouth shut, that one."

"Yeah, he also might freak out," James agreed. "Somehow I don't think that would make Remus feel any more comfortable."

Sirius snorted. "No, I doubt it would," A moment or two passed, then he lowered his voice and leaned in closer. "You know, I can't even imagine what it's got to be like for him. For Remus, I mean, keeping something like that quiet. It's just… that's a _big secret_," he uttered, eyes slightly wide.

"Still," James said. "We're his friends. Why wouldn't he tell us?"

"Well you said it yourself, mate. Think about it. We were both worried Pete'd freak out. He's probably worried that _all_ of us would," Sirius said, frowning. "It's not exactly the sort of thing most people would be thrilled about," He laughed humorlessly. "When I think about what my mother would say if she knew I was friends with someone like him…"

"But we're _not_most people," James argued. "Remus has _got _to know that. And your mother is—" He stopped himself abruptly.

Sirius laughed again. "What, mad?" James looked a bit guilty, but Sirius just shrugged. "Of course she's mad, but it's the mad ones that Remus has got to worry about," he said matter-of-factly. "I mean, you read the book…" he added, and they both shifted uncomfortably. While their preferred information source _had _been more favorable than some—most were nothing but slanderous propaganda, vilifying and condemning werewolves, as well as offering instructions on how they were best 'dealt with'—it hadn't spared the details on such practices either.

"So… right," Sirius said after a brief and mostly unpleasant silence. "All the more reason we should tell him we know."

"And that we're okay with it."

"Because it's not a big deal."

"He's still the same person."

"Twenty-nine days out of the month, at least."

"Which is a vast majority, really, when you think about it."

"Nothing's any different. It's just that now we understand it better."

"Since we know about his furry little problem."

Sirius laughed abruptly and loudly, earning suspicious looks from people nearby. "His furry—Oh _god_," he gasped between laughs, _"Promise _me you won't call it that until you're sure you won't offend him."

"Why?" James grinned with feigned sheepishness. "No good?"

* * *

Remus and Peter were experiencing a rare moment of peace in their dorm, thanks to the mysterious absence of James and Sirius. Peter, of course, was positively twitchy wondering just what they could possibly be up to, and disappointed that he had once again been left out of whatever insanity they were currently planning or partaking in.

Then again, said insanity didn't always end well for Peter, so he decided that he was actually rather relieved to be in the quiet of the dorm, not having to worry about hexes backfiring or having his eyebrows singed off for the twelfth time that year. Peter stretched out on his bed, staring at the ceiling, and thoughtfully prodded his eyebrows.

Remus, however, had no mixed feelings about the unexpected solitude. James and Sirius were great friends and great fun as well, but their absence left an opportunity for reading and homework that Remus really couldn't bear to pass up. Exams were still months away, but he wasn't doing too well in Potions, as was to be expected by this point, and his essay was still woefully un-started.

But after about seventy lines, his hand was cramped, his focus was gone, and he was smudging the ink horribly. Fortunately, a lack of Sirius and James also afforded the chance for recreational reading, which Remus had the chance to do far too scarcely nowadays. He was just really getting into his book when there was a mysterious banging sound outside the door.

At first, he just frowned slightly, not wanting to look up from his book. When he heard the sound again, his frowned deepened, and he chanced a glance at Peter. Peter had stopped mid-prod and was cautiously eyeing the door.

The silence returned, and they caught each other's eye and shrugged. Remus resumed reading his book and Peter went back to feeling for eyebrow hairs that were starting to re-grow. Their content, if somewhat odd, haven was unceremoniously destroyed when James and Sirius quite literally burst through the door. 

It really was quite a wonder how the two of them could take something so mundane as entering a room and turn it into something and destructive, and yet somehow they managed it nearly every time. Remus was about to comment on this, but James and Sirius were acting rather strange. Usually this sort of dramatic entrance was accompanied by an equally grand announcement, such as "Guess what? We've turned Snivellus's hair pink!" or "Good news! McGonagall can't prove that we were the ones who put ink in her tea!" but so far, all they had done was stare silently with odd looks on their faces.

"What're you—?" Remus ventured, but before he could finish his thought, they turned their backs and launched into what appeared to be a whispered argument. 

"—No, _you _say something!"

"_Me_! It was your bloody idea in the first place!"

"You went along with it!"

"So what? We wouldn't be doing this at all if it weren't for you—"

Remus turned to Peter for some kind of explanation, but he was watching them with a mixture of uncertainty and fascination. Remus was rapidly realizing that he wasn't going to get back to his reading any time soon, so he cleared his throat loudly. "Is there a problem or something?"

James and Sirius sprang apart almost guiltily, like they had forgotten there was even anyone else in the room. They exchanged a few significant glances—cryptic to anyone else, but like a second language to the two of them—and proceeded to look rather awkward.

Suddenly, Sirius fixed Remus with a rather fervent stare. "We _know_, you know," he said with grave intensity. "About the… you know."

"And we just thought_you_ should know that _we _know," James supplied helpfully.

Remus raised one eyebrow. This was odd behavior, even for them. He was poised to ignore them and go back to his book, but they looked somewhat anxious, so he continued to watch them.

"I mean, what we mean is…" James chimed in again, "Is that we know about _you_."

Remus met their gazes and swallowed hard. _Oh_. That explanation was much clearer. However, it was vague enough that he could feign ignorance if he so desired, and that was exactly what he planned to do. He took a deep breath, and calmly closed his book and set it aside. "And… _what_ exactly do you know about me?"

They looked at one another again, but didn't bicker over who was going to talk this time. Sirius stepped forward slightly. "We know that you're a werewolf," he said, with all the confidence and nonchalance he could manage. 

Remus balked. "I, er, u-um… uh. _Oh god_…" After all their waffling he hadn't expected them to be quite so _blunt _about it. And perhaps something like 'Don't be ridiculous' would have been a more convincing response, but he could tell by their determined expressions that his secret was out and there was nothing he could do about it, unless he mastered 'Obliviate' in the next ten seconds, which, despite his resolve, was not likely to happen. 

"You're a_werewolf!_" he heard from the other bed, and looked to his left to find Peter gaping at him, exhibiting his usual amount of tactlessness.

"Oh shut up, Pete," Sirius said scathingly, never looking away from Remus.

Remus was sure he hadn't once felt so vulnerable in his entire life. As he looked at his friends, feeling increasingly helpless, the phrase 'don't hate me' sounded repeatedly in his mind, and it was absolutely maddening. 

He could still deny it, he thought, becoming slightly panicked. He could deny it. They didn't—they _couldn't_ have proof, could they? "I, um, I-I'm not—" he endeavored, and realized that silence would probably have been better than such a pathetic attempt at refutation.

"Remus," Sirius interrupted, crossing the room to sit next to him on the bed. "It's all right," he said earnestly, laying a comforting hand on Remus' shoulder. 

Remus was honestly quite terrified to look at him, but he managed, and when his eyes met Sirius', he didn't find the hate or disgust he'd been dreading. "How can it…" he began, sounding distressed but no longer caring, "How can it possibly be all right?" he asked, and he wasn't sure he even meant it to be heard.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Sirius answered immediately. "It doesn't bother us."

Remus looked around at his other friends. Sirius seemed like he didn't have a problem with it, but that didn't mean they were all convinced.

"We just sort of wish you'd _told _us," James added, now seated on Peter's bed. "But now that we _do _know, we don't have a problem with it. Isn't that right, Pete?" He looked pointedly at Peter, who hadn't said a word since his previous outburst.

"Well, um," Peter flushed at having everyone's attention suddenly on him. "I mean I was just so surprised to hear it. But you're still our friend," he said. Remus didn't miss the hesitation and slight fear in his voice, but he knew it was nothing to be concerned about. 

Sirius and James were all right with it, so was only a matter of time until Peter came around to that opinion as well. 

His friends knew he was a werewolf and they _actually still wanted to be his friends_. He was so grateful, so relieved and just so _happy_ that he didn't know quite how to react. He was sure he was staring with a stunned and largely unattractive expression, but Sirius squeezed his shoulder and smiled reassuringly, Peter and James reflecting his supportive demeanor, and really, that was all that mattered.

* * *

Sirius slept well that night. He'd spent the past few weeks in a largely uneasy and worried state, concerned over what would happen when they told Remus that they knew his secret. Aside from a few minor hang-ups—his and James' incoherent rambling and Peter's rather loud bout of thoughtless incredulity—things had gone relatively smoothly. Peter hadn't had a panic attack, James hadn't said anything too incredibly stupid, so Sirius couldn't be more grateful, and he was sure Remus was experiencing a certain amount of relief as well. 

So Sirius was sleeping well until he wasn't, because someone was up shifting around the dormitory. "Remus," he muttered, not opening his eyes, simply taking a wild guess at who could _possibly_ be pacing about in what appeared to be a very disconcerted manner. "What're you doing?"

"Er… nothing…"

"'Course not. M'sure you always sleep standing up," Sirius said with amusement. "The wandering around mumbling, though—that's a little disturbing."

"I wasn't—"

"I'm not going to shout across the room to you. James'll have a fit if we disturb his beauty sleep," Sirius opened his eyes finally and sat up. He met Remus' nervous gaze with an encouraging smile and patted the spot next to him on the mattress. "Come on then."

Remus hesitated for a moment, then sat on Sirius' bed with a soft sigh. Sirius, however, didn't waste any time. "You're still worried about us knowing," he observed quietly.

Remus looked apologetic. "…A little," he admitted, staring at his lap.

Sirius laughed a bit. "Well, you don't have to look so _sorry_ about it, you know. It's not like I'm not expecting it. You worry about things like homework and exams and pranks that go horribly wrong—of course you'd worry about this," he said casually.

Remus, if anything, looked more apologetic than ever. "I can't help it."

"I know you can't," Sirius said with mock-sympathy. "It is your Remus-y way, and I have long since stopped trying to do anything about it, as you are amazingly stubborn when you want to be, which is most of the time," To his relief, Remus smiled, even if it was only for the briefest of moments. And suddenly, Sirius found himself frowning as well. "I just thought maybe after all this time you'd trust us," he added, and cringed at the way he sounded. He'd really been going for 'blasé' over 'kicked puppy.'

"Oh, no, it's not that I don't trust you," Remus replied, and Sirius instantly felt better. "It's not like I think you'll, I don't know, go and tell the whole school, or something like that."

Sirius desperately wanted to know what the reason _was_ then, but for once in his life he opted to be patient and allow Remus to continue without being prompted, when and if he _wanted_ to continue.

After a moment or two of silence, Remus looked up at Sirius. "It's just… I've never really had many friends, even before it happened." Sirius knit his eyebrows in confusion, but again waited for Remus to go on. "And I mean… sure, you say you're all right with it now. And I guess maybe you are. But I wonder how long until, I don't know, it starts to occur to you how dangerous it is, and how depressing or strange, and hanging around with a werewolf won't seem like such a good idea anymore," he said in a rapid, barely audible voice, and he looked positively miserable—miserable for feeling that way, and even more miserable for having admitted it.

"Remus," Sirius said, for the moment at a loss for any other words. He didn't realize that Remus was so insecure about his relationships—that after two years with the Marauders he was still scared of being alone, scared that the people he already had might decide to leave him. He rested a hand on Remus' shoulder again, as he'd done only hours before. "Remus, we're_ friends_," he said bluntly. "We all are. And friends…" he paused for a moment, searching for the right way to phrase it, "Friends don't just stop being friends because of something that nobody can change," he said fervently, tightening his grip. "That's just not how it works."

Remus lowered his eyes. "I'm being stupid, aren't I?" he asked with a slight laugh.

Sirius grinned teasingly, letting his hand drop. "Maybe a little, but luckily I'm here to talk some sense into you."

Remus laughed harder. "Oh, of course. Thank heavens I have you around to be the voice of reason," he said sarcastically, grin matching Sirius'. "I'm sure all those times you've said things like 'No really, hexing off Slughorn's moustache is a _brilliant _idea,' were only rare lapses in judgment."

"Don't believe I've ever said that," Sirius said thoughtfully. "However, I'm intrigued. Hexing off Slughorn's moustache _does _sound like a brilliant idea. How do you suppose we'd go about it?"

"Oh god," Remus lamented dramatically. "Please, leave me out of it. We'd never get away with it and detention with Slughorn is _torture_," he said, sounding very agonized at the mere thought.

Sirius shuddered. "This is true. This is also why I'm lucky I have you around to be _my_voice of reason."

"We can't be _each other's _voice of reason," Remus protested good-naturedly. "I'm pretty sure it doesn't work that way."

"And yet," Sirius grinned, "Somehow, we manage."

They suddenly heard an exaggerated groan from across the room. "For god's sake, would you two shut the _fuck _up already?" James complained loudly, emphasizing the expletive in particular. It had become his favorite word ever since coming to Hogwarts, when he realized he could swear all he wanted, 'like a real man,' without suffering the wrath of his mother. However, it had a tendency to make him sound even more like a thirteen-year-old than usual.

"Oh, fuck off, James, and mind your own goddamn business," Sirius shot back. He, on the other hand, had been using that word since he could talk, and therefore wielded it more effectively.

"What's going on?" someone asked groggily.

"Go back to sleep, Pete," James and Sirius answered simultaneously.

"But what—?"

"Nothing," Sirius cut him off. "James is just being a prat, as usual," he said, shooting a look in James' direction.

"Do you want to come over here and say that?" James challenged.

"Yeah," Sirius said defiantly, rising from the bed. "I think I do." 

James and Sirius went on to try to beat the living daylights out of one another, albeit in a mostly harmless way, as Peter looked on in confusion. Remus laughed and shook his head while James tried to knock Sirius out with his pillow, and his concern about losing his friends was instantly driven from his mind.

* * *

**A.N.: Hope you guys liked it : ) Please leave reviews, as they are met with a good deal of grinning and joyousness. The next chapter after this is pretty much done. Let's just say it's finished, but I have yet to decide if it's complete :P Not sure when I will post it, but I like to make sure each chapter gets a good amount of exposure before posting new chapters. So… yes. Review. The reviews sustain me.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N.: So this has been sitting on my harddrive for a while, completely finished but awaiting some tweaks/some time to pass between chapters. I'm not gonna lie, I'm slightly bummed about the lack of reviews from the last chapter. But, no big deal. The reviews that I do get are appreciated and loved and hugged until some ribs are cracked.**

**So this chapter's short-ish again. Kind of developing a pattern. Ish. …I'm gonna go be vague somewhere else.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. If it were mine, Albus Severus would have a much more normal name, and be would thus be spared a lifetime of pummelings. Really, as if he won't get enough attention for being Harry Potter's son.**

**Also, I think some were under the impression that this was the last chapter. That is far from the case : )**

* * *

"But where does he _go_?" Peter wondered aloud, immediately after Remus left the dorm on the day of the full moon. "I mean, I don't think you can just set a werewolf loose on the grounds and hope for the best."

James scoffed. "Of course you can't," he said haughtily, although he offered no alternative theory.

But Sirius grinned. "Pete, my man," he said, laying a hand on Peter's shoulder, "I've been wondering the very same thing."

Peter looked terrified. That bright gleam in Sirius' eyes was usually accompanied by some kind of pandemonium and humiliation for some unfortunate target. And when it was directed at _him_, those were the times during which Peter wanted to make himself very scarce _very quickly_.

"And thanks for saying it, mate," Sirius continued. "Glad to know I wasn't the only one thinking it."

Peter looked even more terrified. Now Sirius was being friendly to him. He didn't _know _what that meant. He wasn't sure it had ever happened before.

"Er… you're welcome?" he ventured, but it fell on deaf ears. Sirius was clearly in what he liked to refer to as 'the zone.'

Sirius got up from where he was perched on the edge of the bed next to Peter, and wandered to the other side of the room, deep in thought. "Now, how do we find out?" He asked, possibly more to himself than anyone else, as he stared through the window at the setting sun.

"Perhaps you should have _asked him_ before he left," James replied. He was thumbing through a nearby textbook, done more so in an attempt to look disinterested than to actually read.

Sirius spun around, looking scandalized. "We… we can't just _ask _him!" he said, as if it were the most obvious and offensive thing James could conceivably have suggested.

James rolled his eyes and went back to flipping the pages of his book, in another attempt to look bored.

After a brief silence, Peter's curiosity got the better of him. "And, er… _why_ can't we just ask him?"

"Well, we'd have to wait too long, for one."

"_Wait_ too long?" At this, James finally closed his book and sat up. "You're telling me you can't wait until tomorrow to ask a person a question?"

"Honestly, James, have we just met or something?"

"Oh, really, even you're not _that _impatient," His comment was met with a raised eyebrow, and he threw up his hands in exasperation. "So why don't you just follow him then, if you're so bloody curious?"

"Now _that_," Sirius said, wicked grin suddenly returning, "Is an idea."

"Sirius," James said severely, rising from the bed to look Sirius in the eye. "You know I was kidding."

"Too late, James old boy!" Sirius said cheerfully, throwing an arm around his friend's shoulders. "You've said it, and now I simply _cannot_ put the idea out of my mind."

James pressed his lips together, not knowing what to say.

"Besides," Sirius continued, leaning in conspiratorially, "It's a good excuse as any to take that cloak of yours for a spin, yeah?"

"Well," James conceded, grin blooming to match Sirius', "It _has _been gathering dust in my trunk," he admitted, his reluctance rapidly fading. "And it is such a _shame _to see something so brilliant going to waste, after all."

Sirius chuckled in a way that bordered on evil. "Good man."

Peter watched them silently with wide eyes, somewhat afraid for his life.

* * *

"You don't suppose he's already left?" James whispered under the cloak, after they'd waited in silence for a few minutes outside the infirmary.

"No," Sirius replied, shaking his head. "I can hear him talking to Madame Pomfrey in there." The three of them pressed their ears to the door.

It was less like a conversation and more like Madame Pomfrey interrogating Remus about whether or not he had everything he needed, if he knew how to get help, should something happen, and so on and so on, and Remus responding tiredly, but politely. Even so, it was enough to prove to them that they hadn't come looking for him in vain.

"And you're sure he doesn't just stay in there? I mean, it's the infirmary and all, they've probably got something—"

"Keep it _down_, Pete," Sirius hissed, pulling him and James out of the way as the voices were replaced by the sound of approaching footsteps. "We're not going to screw this up because you can't keep your fat mouth shut!"

Peter began to protest, but Sirius' hand promptly covered his mouth when the infirmary doors suddenly swung open and the three of them had to press themselves into the wall to avoid detection.

Remus and Madame Pomfrey swept by at a brisk pace, Madame Pomfrey muttering, "Quickly now, we're running late…" and Remus barely nodded in response. He looked quite dreadful, exhausted and miserable as anything. But amidst the air of impending doom was the odd appearance of resignation. He'd been through this so many times already that it was as though he'd completely given up hope. It almost looked like he felt he _deserved _what was about to happen to him.

Following in silence was a difficult endeavor when Peter kept stepping on James' and Sirius' toes, and they both felt obligated to punch him in retaliation every time. When they made it to the front door, they encountered another problem. It would be nearly impossible for the three of them to slip through the door when Madame Pomfrey opened it, so they thought it better to wait until she had Remus had gone out, give it a moment, and then stealthily sneak through after them.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to let them out of our sight like that?" James asked, watching as the massive door fell shut.

"Better than getting caught," Sirius said, "Besides, how far can they possibly go? We'll just have to be careful to not make any noise when we go after them. So Peter, watch your damn feet this time."

"But then how will I see where I'm going?" Peter asked quietly, but he was already being dragged through the enormous wooden door onto the snow-covered grounds.

A brief silence ensued when no trace of Remus or Madame Pomfrey could be found.

"Right," James said, surveying their deserted surroundings, "Where've they gone, then?" he asked in a mock-cheerful voice, looking at Sirius expectantly.

"…Can't have gone far…" Sirius mumbled, looking around with determination.

"I don't see anybody…" Peter said under his breath, and he was glad Sirius wasn't listening, as that would surely have warranted another punch to the arm.

"Maybe she apparated him somewhere?" James suggested.

"You can't apparate here, idiot." Sirius scoffed.

"And what makes you so bloody smart?" he shot back with annoyance.

But Sirius ignored him, biting his lip in thought.

"Well, they wouldn't have had time to go so far so fast any other way," James mused.

"Right," Sirius agreed, "Which is why they've got to be around here _somewhere_… Wait, look," Sirius said at length, raising his lit wand and shining the light towards the ground. "See?" There were footprints in the otherwise untouched, freshly-fallen snow.

They followed them carefully, when the ominous sound of creaking wood was heard from above them.

"_Shit_."

They narrowly avoided being hit by one of the Whomping Willow's more aggressive branches. Sirius swore loudly a few more times, once they had retreated to a safe distance. "Whose brilliant idea was it to plant this thing anyway!?" he grumbled, adjusting his robes.

"But the footprints," James panted, trying to catch his breath. "They lead to the Willow?" he said, sounding both enlightened and yet more confused than ever.

"Looks like it," Sirius nodded, watching the Willow thrash in the distance. "I didn't get close enough to see exactly where they went, though," he said thoughtfully.

"Well, I don't want to get _whomped_."

"Relax, Pete," Sirius said. "We're done for tonight."

"Really?" James was genuinely surprised that Sirius had given up so easily.

"Yes. I may be impatient as hell, but I'd rather wait a day to ask Remus about it than get beaten half to death by a bloody _tree_."

"I agree," Peter said, sounding extremely relieved.

James shrugged, but couldn't deny that he was also thankful they were heading back to the castle. "All right then."

Once they were back in their dorm, no one quite knew what to say to each other. They had all flopped onto their beds, staring vacantly, lost in their individual thoughts.

Surprisingly, Peter was the one who dared to break the silence. "He… He didn't look very happy, did he?"

"That shouldn't exactly be _surprising_," James said, rolling his eyes. "Would _you _be happy if you were about to transform into something inhuman?"

"No…"

Sirius sighed. "That was rhetorical, Pete."

Peter blinked. "It was what?"

Sirius rubbed his eyes and rolled onto his side, facing away from the others. "Never mind. I'm turning in, then. 'Night," he said, abruptly drawing his curtains closed.

He would wait until tomorrow to talk to Remus if he had to, but for the moment, he couldn't help but think of, as Peter put it, how unhappy Remus looked, and how alone.

* * *

**A.N.: I try not to beg for reviews, but you have no idea how much they mean to me, especially when I'm posting in fandom I'm less familiar with. I really appreciate your opinions. So if you can spare a few moments and a few words to let me know how you're liking the story, it would be great.**

**Hope you all enjoyed! : )**


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